Get the Recipe: Homemade Pizza Buns (Soft, Cheesy & Freezer‑Friendly)
My homemade version of the soft, cheesy pizza buns you see at the grocery store, but much more affordable to make at home. Made with simple pizza dough, pizza sauce and lots of melted cheese, these soft buns are kid‑friendly, freezer‑friendly, and perfect for snacks, lunches or quick dinners.
Ingredients
For the pizza bun dough:
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 g) active dry or instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) white granulated sugar, for the yeast
- 1 cup (240 ml) lukewarm water, about 105F
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) white granulated sugar, for the dough
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) fine salt
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable, canola or other neutral oil
- 2 1/2 - 3 cups (310 - 375 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
For the toppings:
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) pizza sauce, store bought or make your own
- 3 cups (720 ml) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Add the 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast and 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar (for the yeast) to 1 cup lukewarm water (about 105F) in a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir and let stand for 5-10 minutes before using.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the kneading hook, mix together 2 cups (250g) of the flour, 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar (for the dough) and 1 teaspoon fine salt. Add the yeast and water mixture and the 1 Tablespoon vegetable, canola or other neutral oil and mix together until combined.
- Knead by hand or with the mixer, adding the remaining 1 cup (125g) of flour in small increments, only as much as needed, until the dough comes together into a smooth dough that wraps the kneading hook and cleans the bowl. (I find I generally end up using just shy of 3 cups of flour in total.)
- Remove the dough to a floured work surface and knead briefly, then form the dough into a ball. (The dough shouldn't stick to your hands or the work surface. If it does, add a touch more flour, as needed.) Grease a bowl and place the dough ball into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size, about 30 - 45 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
- Prepare two large baking sheets. You can use a bare baking sheet or line it with a sheet of parchment paper if you like. Set aside.
- Remove the doubled dough to a floured work surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces
- Take a piece of dough. Form it into a ball, then stretch in to a circle about 3 inches in diameter. You don't need to stretch them completely at this point. Once you have stretched each of the 12 pieces, go back and stretch each piece again to about 4-inches diameter. Repeat with each piece of dough, placing 6 pieces on each of the prepared baking sheets (you can place them fairly close together as they don't spread much, but don't allow them to actually touch each other). Once on the baking sheet, stretch the rounds one last time until they are about 5 inches in diameter.
- Using a Tablespoon measure from your cutlery drawer, top each piece of dough with with a heaping Tablespoon of pizza sauce, spreading it over the top, going right to the edge, as far as you can without it spilling over the sides. Top with a generous amount of shredded cheddar cheese. Repeat with all the buns. Let stand 20-25 minutes, while you preheat the oven.
- With racks in the upper and lower third of your oven, preheat oven to 375° F (or 350°F for softer buns - see Notes). (regular bake setting/not fan-assisted). After the buns have stood for 20-25 minutes or so (or until they look a little puffy around the outside edges), bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, switching the pans from top to bottom halfway through baking. Cook until golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven, then immediately remove the buns to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy immediately or place in an airtight container and refrigerate, or see below for freezing instructions!
- Freezing: These buns freeze really well. Freeze them on baking sheet and then transfer to a freezer bag. Enjoy straight from the freezer, no need to thaw! Just place the frozen buns on a baking sheet and warm in a preheated 400° oven for 7 or 8 minutes.
You may not need to add all of the last cup of flour, or you may need a few Tablespoons more. Add only as much flour as is needed to create the smooth dough that cleans the bowl.
You can divide the dough by weighing the entire piece of dough, then dividing by 12 to calculate the weight for each piece, then weighing out the pieces individually (mine were 53g each).
Notes
I have recently updated this post, but rest assured that the original recipe above has not changed. I have adjusted the yield of this recipe from 16 buns (original) to 12 buns (new), for a bit bigger pizza buns. I've also added some additional detail to the instructions.
As written, the pizza buns will have a bit of crisp when freshly baked, but will soften as they sit and are refrigerated or frozen. If you are looking for really soft pizza buns, bake at 350F instead. As indicated above, be sure to use parchment paper on the baking sheets and, after baking, place into airtight containers while they are still a bit warm. I've also found that using half milk/half water produces a softer bun, if you'd like to experiment with that.
Be sure to read the notes in the original post for more tips on making this recipe. You'll also find step-by-step photos there that you might find helpful.
Watch how to make it
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 227kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 526mg, Potassium: 162mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 416IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 209mg, Iron: 2mg
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